The 30 minutes it took me to snap the pictures, download them, write a quick post, load the post, and submit it to Digg and Stumbleupon, resulted in:
a) 15,000+ unique visitors to the site to which is was loaded (an acquaintance)
b) hit the buzz page of Stumbleupon ... no funny business I assure you
c) hit the Mixx homepage (someone else submitted it)
d) drove a few thousand visits from Reddit (again, someone else submitted it)
e) missed the homepage of Digg by a small amount (see Digg)
f) will result in an image link on Wikipedia on this page

On that note ... local media completely missed the boat.

Here's an example of a video captured by another amateur photographer that may have been better utilized ...

Obviously, I'm not suggesting that your staff will snap unique pictures every day, but once in a while could certainly be beneficial ... and the more people the better. Of course, they would have to be taught to look for photo opportunities that could be spun to apply to your business in some way.

It would also have to be positioned as a trade with your staff; ie. we'll provide each/some staff with a digital camera (wouldn't have to be expensive ... $100 per is likely sufficient), if they agree to carry it with them routinely, and snap photos and videos of interesting situations they encounter.

Quick Cost/Benefit Analysis:
With 10 people, I would suggest that it wouldn't be unrealistic to expect one winner photo/video per month. Social media types are ALWAYS looking for unique photos and videos! At the same time, if all the pictures taken are loaded to an on site image gallery, or perhaps even Flickr, its an opportunity to rank for thousands more long tail terms.

@ Matt – thanks Matt. I suspect actual ROI will be many times higher yet in most cases, but had to keep the model simple. In retrospect, it does seem like a slam dunk doesn’t it?

@ Shana – thanks Shana! You know its just one of those things. I missed some unbelievable opportunities in the past (cover of time material), and thought “never again”. Then, delving into social media, follow you and others, and seeing the power of images. You were a part of this process Shana!

What an awesome post, this is such a great idea. There are so many creative people within Internet marketing companies and this is the way that you can really tap into the creativity. Plus this is a good image builder.

Anyone have suggestions for the handiest little camera that takes both video and stills? Great idea…can’t wait to dive in! There are so many wonderful green business and green living ideas out here now!